Blue Fairy
by Vexie McCay
Summary: the greatest wishes have been granted by one simple thing: Belief. And for one man with scissors for hands, belief is just what the doctor ordered. CHAPTER SEVEN: Newfound feelings bloom, an intruder is delt with, and Edward makes a new sculpture.
1. The Dare

_**Blue Fairy**_

_AJ Wonkette_

Summary: the greatest wishes have been granted by one simple thing: Belief. And for one man with scissors for hands, belief is just what the doctor ordered.

Feedback: Oh yes please! It's almost my birthday!

A/N: When I got my wisdom teeth out, Edward Scissorhands was the first movie on my list of movies to rent. I instantly fell in love. And so now this is my little fic on it. Since my laptop is working right now, I'm going to TRY and update as much as I can, but since my laptop and the 'net don't get along...we'll just have to see wot happens, 'kay?

8 8 8 8 

Once upon a time there lived a mad genius who turned a robot into a man. The genius spent the last decade of his life working on this man, his greatest creation of all. The man was a very polite, quiet, soft-spoken man, with a big heart and a vast imagination. But the mad genius was old, and sadly, he died before his man was finished. And so the man remained incomplete, lacking only the soft, gentle hands that went with his soft, gentle personality. He lived alone in the old genius' laboratory up on top of a hill, tucked away from the rest of the world. He feared people, he feared the world outside, but most of all, he feared himself. Especially after the Suburbia Incident.

You see, a kindhearted Avon representative found Edward (for this was the lonely man's name) and took him down from his solitude on the hill and into her home. She welcomed him with open arms into her family. They, too, welcomed him warmly, doing their best to integrate him into their way of living. For a time, this was good. The small community where the family lived welcomed him, as heartily as the woman who had brought him down from the hill herself. Edward began to acclimate himself to the world around him, his many talents allowing people to overlook his somewhat atrocious appearance and odd mannerisms. But, as happens to all those with unique differences, he was soon shunned and came to be feared and hated. His confidence was crushed, his heart was broken, and he withdrew into his castle once more. And there he remained, for many, many years, silently taking care of his topiaries and making ice sculptures and paper chains, dreaming of the life he had been given a small taste of.

And this is where our story begins.

The people of Suburbia had long since forgotten that Edward Scissorhands truly existed. Most of the people who witnessed the event were long gone, either by death or simply because they moved away. He fell into myth and legend, a bedtime story for children. People began to believe that he was just a made up spook to explain the existence of the creepy old house up on Castle Hill. No one went up there, of course, but everyone stopped and gazed at it at one point or another. Especially children.

Especially one young girl by the name of Madeline Golden. She was generally called Mandy, and the name suited her. Mandy was fourteen years old, and had big blue eyes that shone as if she had some grand secret all the time. She was, as anyone could easily tell you, a very firm believer. In what, you ask? In _everything_. She believed in fairies, in magic, in spirits, even in Santa Claus. But what she believed in most was the legend of Edward Scissorhands. She loved the story, and got as many versions of it as she could. She would go around and ask all the elderly citizens of Suburbia about the strange incident involving the strange boy with scissors for hands. They all told her what their parents had told them about the event. Mandy's interest in the subject even led her to keep a journal on everything she learned. It was filled with old newspaper clippings and stories people had told her and things she'd found about him on the internet. She was thoroughly entranced.

Of course, her obsession with the "ghost" of the Hill was laughed at by all the other teens in Suburbia. They called her weirdo and freak-lover. However, they did all this somewhat lovingly, for they were all friends, even if they teased her relentlessly. Mandy was good-natured, and oftentimes it overcame her "oddities" and allowed her to have many good friends.

But it wasn't until about two weeks before Christmas that they finally pushed their friendly teasing too far, leading Mandy to her greatest adventure yet. It happened like this: Mandy and some of her friends were sitting around inside Levi Larson's house one night, watching the snow fall.

"Look at it coming down!" Levi remarked admiringly as the group sat around the window. "I bet there's about an inch already!"

"I hope it's good powder. I want to try out that snowboard I got for my birthday last week." Brendan Smacks said, grabbing a Christmas cookie from the plate Mrs. Larson had set out.

"You think it will snow enough to close school?" Jamie Perkins asked, resting her head against the window longingly.

"There isn't school tomorrow, dummy. It's Christmas vacation." Brendan said, giving his girlfriend a loving shove. "I hope there's a lot, though."

"It all just depends on how creative he's feeling." Mandy said dreamily without thinking. All three teens looked over at her in confusion, surprise, and doubt, respectively. By this time, Mandy had figured out she'd spoken out loud. Genius. Oh well, she figured. Might as well go all the way, seeing as her friends were most definitely prepared to tease her.

"And who are we talking about here?" Brendan asked mockingly. "Santa Claus?"

"Of course not." Mandy rolled her eyes. "Edward Scissorhands. You know where snow comes from, don't you?"

"The sky?" Levi smirked at her. Jamie giggled. Mandy shook her head, blue eyes sparkling with magic. . . the magic of her story. Her friends knew that look very well, and settled back to hear whatever crazy tale Mandy had to tell this time.

"Nope. Not around here. It didn't used to snow before Scissorhands was created. It used to just get cold. You know our grass never goes brown and our flowers never die? Well, it's not supposed to be winter here. Ever. They used to put fake snow everywhere for Christmas. Until Edward Scissorhands. They say it snows whenever Scissorhands is carving his ice-sculptures up in the castle. They say he's so quick at it, the shavings fall like snow everywhere in town, blown out of the castle by the winds of his scissor-hands." Mandy finished her tale and looked around at her friends, a small smile touching her lips. She brushed her short black hair from her eyes and gave them all a full-fledged grin.

"And that," She concluded, "is why it snows."

"You're nuts, Mandy." Brendan snorted.

"Way nuts." Levi agreed.

"There's no such thing as Edward Scissorhands!" Jamie added. Mandy's eyes widened.

"There is so!" She cried. "Ask anyone!"

"No there isn't. It's just like everything else. Like the tooth fairy. No such thing." Jamie argued.

"I'm serious this time. Edward Scissorhands is _real_." Mandy insisted, her befreckled cheeks turning red in anger.

"Well, how do you know?" Levi's older brother, Brian asked in his quiet voice. Brian was two years older than Mandy, and the smartest guy she knew. He had been out with some friends and had gotten back just in time to hear Mandy's story. The rest of the teens turned around.

"What?" Mandy asked in surprise.

"How do you know he exists? Have you ever seen him?" Brian asked. The others turned to look at Mandy. She frowned.

"Well. . ." she faltered. "No. But everyone says–."

"Well then you don't know if he exists or not." Brian said, shrugging. He took off his coat and threw it into the closet, not bothering to hang it up. "Simple as that." He remarked, giving them a 'duh' look and heading down to the basement. Mandy continued frowning.

"He's right, you know." Levi said. Brendan nodded his agreement.

"Maybe I should go find out then." Mandy said, looking up. Brendan and Levi exchanged glances. They both grinned.

"Hey. I've got an idea." Levi said mischievously.

"Yeah?" Mandy asked suspiciously. She knew about Levi's ideas. They could be rather crazy at times. Usually they involved some dangerous stunt or another. Or Oreo-Blasts. But that was another story.

"We dare you," Levi began, looking at Brendan, who nodded, "to go spend the night in the Castle on the Hill." Jamie gasped. Brendan grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. Mandy laughed.

"Yeah right, as if my mom would let me do _that_." she said. Brendan shrugged.

"You can tell her you're sleeping over at Jamie's house. It's happened before. You know she doesn't care." he replied simply. Jamie nodded.

"I'll cover for you, Mandy." she said.

"Okay, fine." Mandy said indifferently. "But Levi, you gotta let me borrow your digital camera."

"What for?" Levi asked defensively. He took great pride in his camera, and didn't really like letting it out of his sight.

"So I can get a picture of Scissorhands and prove to you once and for all that he exists." Mandy replied, smiling innocently at him. Levi's defensive frown turned to a smirk.

"Oh, okay then. Be my guest." he said.

"Okay. I'm going to go get some stuff. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, okay?" Mandy said, standing up and grabbing her coat. The others nodded. Mandy put her coat on and left.

Mandy ran down the street to her house and informed her mom of the "Sleepover" plan. Her mother consented, and Mandy went to her room to pack. She grabbed her black System Of A Down hoodie and changed into her combat boots. She put some food, a blanket, a pillow, her CD player, and her Scissorhands Journal into her duffel bag. She also grabbed a flashlight, a lighter, and pocketknife, just in case. She slipped the lighter and the pocketknife into the pocket of her black cargo pants, put on her hoodie, and then her coat. She ran back over to Levi's house, where the rest of her friends were standing on the front lawn in the falling snow.

"Ready?" Levi asked, handing her his camera, which Mandy also pocketed.

"Yeah." Mandy replied. "Let's do it."

"We'll walk you to the Gate, okay?" Jamie said comfortingly. Mandy nodded, and they started walking.

"These are the rules." Brendan said. "You have to go INTO the house, and take a picture of the inside to prove it. You have to spend all night there, and meet us at the gate by 9:30. No earlier, okay?"

"Right." Mandy said.

"If you meet anybody, get their picture. If they just so happen to have scissors as hands, we will declare you the official winner and never doubt a thing you say ever again." Levi added. "If you don't meet anybody, we'll still think you're pretty cool for taking our stupid dare seriously." Mandy smiled at Levi, knowing this was his way of apologizing for making her do something so stupid.

"Okay. Done. So all I gotta do is sleep in this big creepy house and come out alive by morning, and I've got your eternal respect. Coolness." Mandy said, rather flippantly. Levi and Brendan laughed, but they stopped quickly. . . they'd reached the Gate. Mandy pushed it open and looked up at the Hill. She turned around and looked at her three friends. She hefted her bag onto her shoulder and gave them a heroic look.

"If I don't come back," she said bravely, "give Brian my guitar and tell him it's all his fault." Jamie squeaked and rushed forward, throwing her arms around Mandy.

"You don't have to do this, Mandy! It's just a stupid dare!" she sobbed into Mandy's coat. Mandy laughed.

"I'm just kidding, Jamie. I'll be fine!" she assured the blonde. "I'll see you guys in the morning, 'kay?"

"Good luck, Mandy." Brendan said seriously.

"Yeah, don't let the bed-bugs bite." Levi teased.

"Bye. . ." Jamie said, stepping back into Brendan's arms. Mandy grinned, saluted, and began her trek up the Hill. She didn't look back until she was over halfway up. To her surprise, her friends were still watching her. She was touched for a moment, then turned her thoughts back to the task at hand. She looked up at the gargantuan house that was growing with every step she took. She had dreamed about this place for so long, why she had never thought of coming here before, she did not know. What she did know was that she was here now, and she couldn't wait to see what was inside the House on Castle Hill.

End Chapter One

W00t! That's a chap, mates! I'm all happy, 'cos I finished a chapter. A kinda short chapter, but a chapter all the same. Aie, go me. 'Kay.

To be explained:

The Gate: Yeah, I know the gate is at the TOP of the hill, but I'd imagine they'd want to stop people from going up there after what happened to poor Jim (poor my butt...lol) so I added another gate. Okay, in truth, I forgot it was at the top until I started writing the other gate, so now there are two gates. Bleh, lemee alone.

Castle Hill: I thought it sounded cool, so I don't know. If the Hill has a name, let me know. I watched the movie once, while I was on major painkillers. I need to get me that movie, I tell ya.

Suburbia: same as before, except I didn't make it up, I saw it on other fics and decided it sounded good.

That's it for now. Review and I will get you a big hypothetical cookie. Come on, they're good!


	2. Mandy Meets Ed

Blue Fairy

AJ Wonkette

Disclaimer ('cos I forgot it in the first one! I knew something was missing.) I got the certificate of legal ownage, and I ran right home to show Edward, and he sorta accidentally...shredded it. :(

So no, to answer your question. I do not own it.

A/N: Chapter two! And my computer still kinda liveth! Lol.

Darlene: THANK YOU! You are my one reviewer. You rock and get a giant hypothetical cookie! And thanks for the bit about the gate. I did get to watch it again at my friend's house and I did notice that. I wasn't sure if I could trust my memory on painkillers though, so I just put that to make sure.

So yes. Onward we march!

Chapter Two: Mandy Meets Ed

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 

After what seemed like an eternity of climbing, Mandy reached the top of Castle Hill. She opened the Inner Gate and slipped inside. She stopped dead, shocked by what she saw. There were gorgeous, snow-covered topiaries all over the place. Lions and roses and spaceships and people. . . strewn about the lawn like an art gallery of some sort.

"Of course he'd be good at topiaries." Mandy whispered to herself, shaking herself out of her amazed trance. "He's got scissors for hands for goodness sake!" She continued her journey, coming to a large topiary in the center of the courtyard, the largest of all. It was a human hand, palm facing towards the heavens, holding a small mound of snow all its own. Mandy paused to pull out Levi's camera and snap a picture, making a mental note to add that particular shrub into her journal later on. In her mind, it was significant. She walked around it to the front doors. She took a deep breath and pushed them open.

"Edward?" She called, stepping inside. Her words echoed throughout the cold, empty house. Mandy shivered, suddenly glad she had her System Of A Down hoodie on over her t-shirt, even with her coat. It looked like it was going to be a long, cold night.

Mandy walked into the large hall, shutting the door behind her. She took out her flashlight and looked around. What seemed to be old, dusty machines were scattered here and there, covered in cobwebs and years of dirt and grime. To one side was a staircase, also dusty and cobweb-covered. Mandy decided to see where this would take her, though she noticed several other inviting doors. The stairs, however, interested her most. She set down her bag and took out Levi's camera again, and snapped a couple shots of the hall.

"That ought to do it for proof." she said to herself, putting the camera away. She picked her things up again, and turned toward her desired course. She began climbing the stairs. And she climbed. And climbed. And climbed. And climbed some more. The higher she went, the more nervous she got, though she had no idea why she was so nervous. She began singing to ease her nerves. Her "sopralto" voice echoed eerily off the stone walls.

"Saw my old lover at the grocery store. It was a snowy Christmas eve. Saw her standin' in the frozen foods. And I touched her on the sleeve. Didn't recognize my face at first. Then her eyes flew open wide. She w–." Mandy stopped, her breath catching in her chest. She had reached the top of the stairs. And there was a door. And it was open. Just barely. With her heart in her throat, she took a cautious step forward, and pushed the door all the way open. Her blue eyes widened. She was standing in an attic. Or what was left of it. The roof was broken in many places, leaving only open sky. But that wasn't what took her breath away.

Inside the room, all over the floor, were about a half dozen ice sculptures. There was a larger-than-life snowflake, a crescent moon, a roaring tiger, a howling wolf, a wilting rose, and a ballet dancer, her graceful hands facing the heavens, just like the hand in the garden. Mandy gazed at them in awe for a moment. She played her flashlight over every single sculpture, watching as the light made them sparkle. She put the thin barrel of the flashlight between her teeth and pulled out the camera once more. She had to get pictures of these beautiful sculptures. She began clicking away, turning slowly as she did.

Suddenly, her light hit something that wasn't ice. She froze, then took a cautious step forward, peering through the digital screen of the camera instead of looking up. A face came into focus. A pale, scarred, shocked face. Mandy slowly and carefully pushed the button, snapping a picture of the face. Then she looked up, also slowly. She slid the camera into her pocket, and removed the flashlight from her mouth. She took a careful step towards the face.

"Hello." She said softly, her voice barely over a whisper. She took another step. The face jerked backwards fearfully, the dark eyes wide.

"Hello." A soft, almost child-like voice said in return. The voice was uneasy, full of fear. Mandy stopped, almost three feet in front of him.

"Are. . . are you Edward Scissorhands?" she asked breathlessly. The face crumpled in confusion.

"My name is Edward." He said slowly, as if unsure how to answer her. "A-and I do have scissorhands." Slowly, almost hesitantly, he held up his hands. Mandy could not hold back her gasp of surprise. His hands were indeed scissors. Edward flinched at her gasp, drawing back into the shadows, and dropping to the floor. Mandy didn't seem to notice. She let out a delighted squeal.

"Yes! I was right! I was _right_! You're real! I knew you were! I found you!" She exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement any longer. She took a deep breath, then looked around. "Woah, wait, where'd you go?" She held up her flashlight until she found him, scooted way back against the wall of the attic. She walked over and sat cross-legged in front of him. She placed the flashlight on the ground between them, facing upwards so it shed light on the both of them.

Mandy looked across the circle of light at Edward. He looked very frightened. His knees were pulled to his chest, and his scissor-hands were crossed defensively over them. He watched her warily, as if he were afraid she would attack him.

"I'm sorry." Mandy said in a quiet voice. She took off her coat and moved so she was sitting on the fluffy material. "I didn't mean to scare you. I guess I'm a little overwhelming after you've been up here for so long." She cocked her head to one side. "How long have you been up here, anyway?"

"I don't know." Edward replied in his small voice. He didn't move from his defensive ball. Mandy frowned.

"Hey, I won't hurt you." She said gently, reaching out towards him. He shrank back against the wall.

"Don't." he whispered. Mandy stopped, her hand halfway to him. She pulled back and placed her hands in her lap.

"Why are you afraid of me?" she wanted to know. Edward didn't answer. Mandy shrugged and pulled out her camera once again.

"Do you mind?" She asked. Edward frowned, but he shook his head, wild black hair falling this way and that. Mandy snapped a few pictures, zooming in on his scissorhands, then on his face, then a full-shot. She couldn't wait to get these onto her computer so she could study them. Plus, this would be proof once and for all that Edward Scissorhands did indeed exist. Levi, she knew, would have a fit. So would Brendan. And she _had_ to show Brian. Her pictures were definitely proof enough for him.

"What is it?" Edward asked, making Mandy jump. It had been so quiet, even his soft voice seemed loud.

"A camera. Haven't you seen a camera before?" She asked. Edward shook his head. The cameras he remembered were large and made bright flashes. This wasn't anything like those. Mandy, however, didn't know this. She was surprised he'd let her take pictures without even knowing what she was doing.

"Wow." Mandy remarked. "I hope you don't mind me taking pictures of you."

"Why?" Edward asked curiously.

"Um, duh, because it's wrong to take pictures of someone if they don't want it. And I don't want to do anything you don't want me to. I mean, hello. . ." Mandy trailed off at Edward's confused look. Suddenly, it dawned on her what he meant. "Oh, wait, why do I want to take pictures of you?"

"Yes." Edward said. Mandy wondered briefly why he kept making monosyllabic answers. She returned to her current problem.

"Um, well," Mandy paused. It was one of those times where 'I'm your BIGGEST fan' sounded just too cheesy. "I've kind of always wanted to meet you. I mean, people have told me all about you, except they told me you didn't exist, and now I know you do, and I'm just happy to finally see you. I. . . don't want to forget this moment." Edward stared at her for a few minutes.

"Why me?" he wanted to know. Mandy noticed as their conversation began to blossom, he became a little more relaxed. His legs fell into a mirror of her own, and his arms fell to his sides.

"Well, I don't know. 'Cos you're Edward Scissorhands. As long as I can remember, people have been telling me stories about you. You're famous, you know. Here, I know." Mandy dove into her bag and found her journal. She hesitated, trying to remember what all she had written about him in there, but decided it didn't matter. He had a right to know what people said about him. Including her.She held out the notebook to him. He looked at her and a longing expression crossed his pale features. His nearly purple lips parted for a moment, but then he lowered his head and held up his scissors.

"I can't." the ghost of a whisper floated across the silence. Mandy blinked, shocked by this suddenly helpless gesture. She ran a hand nervously through her dark hair.

"I-do you. . . do you want me to read it?" She asked, the idea coming to her at complete and utter random. Edward lifted his head and the sad look was gone, and in its place was a hopeful one.

"Please?" he said, sounding once againlike a small child. Mandy smiled warmly at him and opened the notebook. She started reading. At first she was self-conscious of the things she had written, her own thoughts and assumptions. She kept looking up to see what he thought. But all she ever saw on those pale, thin features was a sort of hesitant smile, as if he wasn't quite sure he remembered how to do it right. Her fear faded at his attentiveness, and soon she was even adding her own commentary to things she'd put in, remarking about how she'd found out one fact was false later on, and someone else contradicted another one. At the back of her five-section notebook were the newspaper articles. She went ahead and read those, too. They were from years and years ago, when he had come down to Suburbia. The last one was an interview with Kim Boggs, who had supposedly witnessed Edward's death.

Mandy looked up at the end. She looked at Edward, but he was looking past her. He looked as though he were in pain, and to her great surprise a tear rolled down his lean cheek, followed by another and another. Edward Scissorhands, the great man of legend, was sitting in front of her, _crying_. Mandy inwardly gasped and unconsciously reached towards him, wiping the tear from his face. He jumped at her touch. Mandy gasped and drew back. She looked at her leg. In his surprise, he had ripped straight through her pants and nicked her leg. He noticed this and drew back against the wall again, his eyes wide with dismay.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. . .I'm sorry. . . " he whispered in horror. Mandy looked up at him. This time he was not crying, but the sadness and fear she saw instead was even worse. She suddenly understood why he had been so afraid before. He hadn't been afraid of her hurting him, but of him hurting _her_. Drawing all her courage together, she gave him a grin, the one the Levi called her "Evil Virus Grin"because it was so large and friendly that it was simply contagious. She usually used it to make people do things for her, or stop being angry with her. Which was why Levi called it Evil.

"It's okay, Edward. I know you didn't mean to. That was my fault. I freaked you out." She said. "Don't worry about it."

" It always happens." Edward said, this time his voice was more audible. " I don't mean to hurt anyone." Mandy realized it was the longest thing he'd said to her all night. She nodded.

"I know. You're not a bad guy at all." she said. She reached out. Edward's eyes widened and he shrank back further. Mandy didn't stop this time. She touched his face, and ran her hand along one of his scars. Then she grinned humorously and gave his wild hair a tug, extremely amused by the look of shock on his face.

"See?" She said. "I'm fine. You just owe me a new pair of pants." She laughed, and Edward seemed amazed by the sound. Mandy looked at him for a moment, but couldn't stop giggling. Somehow the tense mood had lifted a bit. She turned and reached into her bag.

"You know what? I'm hungry. You hungry?" She asked, while digging through the few things she'd brought along.

"I don't eat. Usually." Edward said, watching her curiously. Mandy looked up, pausing in her rummaging.

"You don't?" she asked in surprise. Then she smacked her forehead. "Oh yeah. Not human. Right." She continued in her search, not seeing the hurt look that passed across Edward's face. A moment later she pulled out what she was looking for. She smiled at Edward, holding up a can.

"Check it out! Alphabetios!" she exclaimed triumphantly. Edward looked confused.

"What?" he asked. Mandy's face fell a little bit, his reaction not at all what she was looking for, but she brightened instantly, a mockingly patient smile touching her lips.

"Here, look." Mandy began rummaging around in her pocket for her knife. Suddenly she paused. She looked up at Edward.

"Hey." She said. "You think you could open this for me?" She held out the can. Edward bit his lip then nodded. He slowly reached out and cut around the lid of the can, successfully opening it.

"Yes! Thank you!" Mandy crowed in delight, pulling a spoon from her bag and picking the lid out of the alphabetios. Edward couldn't help but smile a little. It had been a very long time since he'd been useful. He missed being useful. His father had taught him to help people all he could. Helping people was good. And his father wanted Edward to be good.

"You're welcome." he said politely. Mandy noticed his somewhat pleased air, and felt rather pleased herself. She held out the can.

"See? Alphabetios." She said in a satisfied voice. He peered into the can curiously. Sure enough, alphabet shapes were floating around in a reddish sauce. It didn't look at all appetizing to Edward, but Mandy dug right in.

"Mmm." She remarked happily. "I'm starving!"

"You don't eat?" Edward asked in alarm. Mandy looked up. She almost laughed at his evident surprise and concern. Before she did, however, she realized he was absolutely serious.

"Of course I do. It's just, like, a . . .whatchimicallit. . .Oh yeah.A figure of speech or something like that." She explained. Edward's scarred face cleared in relief. He remembered Mr. Boggs explaining figures of speech to him, so many years ago. He thought they were silly. Why would people say things they didn't mean just to say something else completely? It seemed rather ridiculous to him. He wished his father could have explained it to him. His father had been good at making silly things make sense.

Edward's train of thought was interrupted by a loud burst of music. But it wasn't music as he'd experienced it. This was no classical music, or popish, 50's rock. This was some sort of chaos trying to pass itself off as music. Mandy, however, seemed to like it. She sang along to the tones as she dug in her large pockets.

"Hey man, lookit me rockin' out I'm on the RADIO! Aha!" Mandy triumphantly pulled a thin, silver device from her pocket. Edward stared at it, trying to figure out what it did. Mandy seemed to know. She flipped it open and spoke into it.

"Yo? Oh hi Mom. Yeah. I'm having fun. We were, um, reading. And eating. Oh. . ." Mandy's face fell and a worried look clouded her features for a moment. Edwardfigured outthe device was a telephone. A lot had changed in 50 years, he realized with a start. He wondered why Mandy looked worried all of a sudden. She must be hearing bad news.

"No, it's okay. Mom, I don't need to come home. I'll be _fine_. Yeah. Mrs. Perkins will make sure I stay warm. Yeah. I've got my hoodie! The warm one. Yes, I'll be okay, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow. Yeah, I'll be careful. I know! Yes. Power lines are dangerous. I know. Mom, I'm not a kid, okay? I'm okay. Yeah. Okay. Love you too. 'Night." Mandy closed the phone.

"Is everything. . . okay?" Edward asked. Mandy smiled at him. Edward initiated. He was finally getting a little more comfortable with her!

"Oh, yeah. My mom was just freaking out because of all the sn–hey!" Mandy stopped mid-sentence and leapt to her feet. She ran to the other side of the room. Edward scrambled to his feet, wondering what he did wrong. He looked at his hands. Was there blood? Had he hurt her again? But Mandy didn't look hurt. She stood at the broken bit of roof, staring out at the town, as Edward himself had done so many times before. Edward walked up beside her and peered out the hole at the familiar little town with their familiar little lights.

"What are you looking at?" he asked curiously. Mandy stared out at the falling snow, then at him, then back at the snow.

"It's snowing." She said, stating the very obvious. Edward nodded slowly.

"Yes." he agreed. Edward liked snow. It was so pure and beautiful. It reminded him of Kim, when Kim had danced in the snow, so many years ago.

"But. . . they told me. . ." Mandy turned to Edward with a sheepish grin. "I thought _you_ made it snow!" Edward blinked at her, his body language clearly saying _Me! _

"See, they said that whenever you were making your ice-sculptures, it made it snow." Mandy explained. Edward frowned.

"They do make it snow, but I don't think I made all _that_." he said, looking out at the town again. Mandy laughed.

"Yeah, I guess that'd be kinda crazy, wouldn't it?" she admitted. Edward gave her his small, unsure smile.

"Yes." he agreed, though personally he thought it would be nice if he did make all the snow. Making snow was a good thing for him to do, wasn't it? It made everything beautiful and that madepeople happy, right? They _used_ tolike it when he made thingsbeautiful, anyway.He realized Mandy wasn't standing next to him anymore. She had grabbed her flashlight again and was looking around at the sculptures. Edward followed her curiously. This girl was so strange to him.

"These are so pretty. I wish I could do stuff half this good. I mean, I can draw, but I've never been very good at sculpting. And the shrubs out front," Mandy whistled. "They're gorgeous. You're an awesome artist, Scissorhands."

"Why do you call me that?" Edward asked, frowning. People had called him Scissorhands before, but they had been angry with him or teasing him. Mandy didn't seem angry, but she could be teasing him. He didn't really like being teased very much.

"Call you–." Mandy stopped in horror, realizing she'd called him what she called him in her stories, to add drama to it. She hadn't meant to call him that to his face. "Oh. You don't like it? I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't know. I just thought it sounded neat."

"Oh." Edward said. But he didn't tell her why he didn't like it. Mandy wished he would, but she didn't want to ask just now. She was afraid that if she asked too many questions he would go away and stop talking to her. Or at least letting her bask in his presence. He really didn't talk much anyway. She felt very pleased that he'd spoken to her in a complete sentence.

"Besides," she said, her eyes lighting up with magic again. "It sounds cooler in the stories I tell."

"Stories?" Edward asked, his curiosity piqued once again. Mandy grinned and nodded slowly. It was going to be a very good night.

End Chapter Two.

Two down! Yay! A couple things:

Mandy's Cell Phone: In case you didn't know, the lyrics are radio/video by System Of A Down. I 3 them, if you can't tell!

Mandy's Song: The song I made her sing was Dan Fogleberg's "Another Auld Lang Syne" I love that song. . .

Sopralto: A cross between Soprano and Alto. That's what my dad calls me and my mom, his Sopraltos.

Alphabetios: A word I made up. See, there are Spaghettios, right? And there are Raviolios. But on the alphabet ones, it just says "ALPHABET SPAGHETTIOS" which is an injustice, I think. Hence Alphabetios.

The 50's: Okay, I have a distinct feeling that ES was set in the late 80's, early 90's or whenever it was filmed, but the whole movie made me think 50's so that's where I set it. 'Kay? And this way I didn't have to make it an odd future thing. I'm not very good at futuristic stories, you know?

That's all I can think of! So now it is time for you to review and make chibi-Eddie very happy. holds up an adorable big-eyed mini of Edward SURRENDER TO THE CUTENESS!

AJ & EddieChan


	3. Secrets

Chapter 3: Secrets

A/N: Sorry for the delay. . . first of all I've only had time to write in the mornings before I go to work, and even then I'm multitasking with my schoolwork, too, and secondly, I was almost finished writing this chapter and I got up to get some orange juice and I came back to find my laptop had died, taking most of this chapter with it. So I had to re-write. The moral of the story? Save. Save often. To my reviewers:

Lenne - Yeah, she is, just a little bit. Funny, though, because she's a character I originally created for a comic book I was writing with a friend of mine, and she's just always been extremely cheerful and goofy. And I can't shake the disturbing air of Mary-Sue-Ness around her. Working on it, though.

Phantom of the Rock Era - Nice name! Thanks ever so much! I'm glad you enjoy it so much. And let's hear it for endless energy! ;)

Darlene - Wow, once again with the info. You're awesome! I should be getting the DVD for my birthday. . .if I don't, well, then I know what the money my grandparents are sending me is going to go for! But if you notice anything else, feel free to let me know! Any help is appreciated!

(This A/N brought to you by exclamation points!)

8 8 8 

Mandy woke up slowly. The first thing she noticed was that sun was streaming into her eyes. This annoyed her somewhat, and also keeping her from falling back to sleep. The next thing she realized was that she was not in her own bed. She was not even in her own room. This woke her up quite a bit more. She opened her eyes to see the broken roof of the Mansion on Castle Hill looming above her. This confused her for a moment, but everything from the previous night came flooding back. She'd spent most of the night talking to Edward, before falling asleep mid-sentence. She smiled happily up at the ragged ceiling. She'd spent an entire night with Edward Scissorhands. He existed! And she'd talked to him!

Once she had finally gotten Edward to warm up to her, she had gotten a lot of stories out of him. She now knew about his "father" and what he had created Edward to be. She knew the true story of the Incident when he'd come down with Peg Boggs. She also learned a lot about Edward himself. Many of the things she'd heard and believed were wrong. Edward was peaceful, and not at all fierce like the stories always portrayed him. He was a gentle, sweet kind of guy. But what impressed her most was his innocence. He was intelligent, to be sure, and he was an artistic genius, but he was like a child, full of wonder. It was as though he was untouched by any bad thing in the world, while at the same time being full of darkness. Edward was a very confusing guy. Speaking of which, Mandy realized she hadn't heard word or snip from her new friend yet. She sat up and looked around. Edward was nowhere to be seen.

"Edward?" Mandy called. She stood up and stretched. She located her boots and pulled them back onto her feet. She shoved everything that she'd dumped out the previous night back into her bag, then looked at her watch. 8:40. Mandy frowned in dismay. She'd have to leave soon. She really didn't want to, she was in the middle of her greatest adventure yet. But if she didn't go, her friends would freak, and then her mom would freak, and that would bring people up here, and she knew that was a bad idea. Before she left, however, Mandy had to find Edward so she could say goodbye. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Mandy inspected the corners of the room for Edward. He wasn't lurking in any of them. She headed for the doorway.

"Edward!" She called again, her voice echoing off the walls. "Hey, Edward!"

Mandy went down the stairs. She stopped in the front hall, her mouth falling open in surprise. There was Edward, following the progress of a conveyer belt with interest and what seemed to be delight. One of the large machines was humming warmly, and the room smelled of. . . was that cookies!

"Woah! What's going on?" Mandy wanted to know, setting her bag on the floor. Edward turned, then looked down, smiling shyly. Mandy was sure the if he could blush, he would be doing so right then.

"The machines still work." he explained in his quiet, polite way. "I. . . made breakfast." Mandy laughed, walking over and inspecting the conveyer belt.

"Cookies?" she said questioningly. "That's definitely not part of your complete breakfast." Edward's smile faded.

"You. . . don't want it?" He asked in a voice that sounded absolutely heartbroken. Mandy studied him silently for a moment. As a matter of fact, she usually skipped breakfast. But he looked so desolate at the thought of her not liking his surprise breakfast that she couldn't turn him down. She smiled at him.

"Of course I do! I was just teasing, silly." She skipped over and poked him in the side, making him jump. He still wasn't crazy about physical contact. "You need to lighten up, dude." Edward's nervous smile returned to his face. He pointed with one hand to a bin at one end of the machine.

"They come out there." He said. Mandy reached over and grabbed a big star-shaped cookie. She gave it a wary look. After all, it _had_ come from a machine which had until very recently been covered in dust and cobwebs. And she had no idea where the ingredients had come from. But it seemed to be a perfectly fine cookie. She glanced up at Edward, who was watching her expectantly. She took a big bite of the cookie, prepared to fake a yummy-face. To her great surprise (and relief, for that matter) she didn't have to fake it. The big sugar cookie was one of the best she'd ever tasted. She stared at Edward, who had a pleased little grin on his pale face.

"This is really, _really_ good." She remarked. Edward nodded.

"My father only made good things." He said. He gave her a meaningful, wistful look. Mandy got it. She'd heard enough the night before to catch his drift.

"I kind of figured that. Made you, didn't he?" She said, shrugging.

"Yes." Edward replied politely, though he sounded doubtful. Mandy looked at her watch. She needed to leave now if she was going to make it down the Hill by 9:30. She looked up at Edward.

"Hey." she said, walking right up in front of him. "I gotta go home now." Edward's face fell.

"Don't go." He said pleadingly. "Please?" Mandy bit her lip and ran a hand through her short hair. She really, really didn't want to go at all. For a fraction of a second, she considered bringing him down with her, but she knew she couldn't do that to him. Not again. She sighed.

"I wish I didn't have to, but I do. I promised my friends I'd meet them at the gate." she said. "Besides, I have to work today. I told you I worked at the library, right? Putting all the books away?" Edward nodded, still looking forlorn. Mandy felt absolutely terrible for leaving him behind.

"I had a ton of fun, Edward. This is the coolest sleepover I've ever had. And those were awesome cookies." She said, trying to cheer him up. Edward didn't smile. He looked, if possible, even sadder. He was quiet for a long time. Finally he looked up, his big brown eyes doubting, but sparkling with the smallest hint of hope.

"Will. . . will you ever come back to see me?" Edward asked in a very small, very young voice. His mind told him she wouldn't. Just like Kim, who said she loved him, but never came back after she'd saved him from the bad people of Suburbia who wanted to hurt him. He'd never seen her again. And he'd probably never see this girl, Mandy, again, either. She'd leave him alone just like Kim did.

Mandy's breath caught in her chest at the loneliness in Edward's voice. She couldn't help it: she threw her arms around him with a half-sob. He was very surprised at this, and stood very rigid, not sure what to do. Mandy quickly stepped back, remembering how he felt at being touched. She mentally scolded herself for going girly on him.

"Of course I'll come back. We're friends now." She said. Edward just looked at her, not sure whether to believe her. Kim had loved him. . . and she'd left him alone. Would Mandy do the same? Mandy saw the uncertainty in his face and made a quick decision. She pulled the long chain out from under her shirt. On this chain was a heavy silver ring with scorpions etched all around it. It was her father's Scorpio ring, which he'd given to her before he'd died. Mandy stood on the tips of her toes and slipped the chain around Edward's neck. She held up the ring for him to see.

"Look," she explained gently. "This means we're friends, okay? As long as you've got this, we're friends, and I'll come back to hang out, 'kay? I'll even bring my dvd player and some movies next time." Edward finally smiled. He understood.

"Thank you, Mandy." he said. Mandy grinned, shrugging.

"Hey." She said. "It's what I do. I'll try and come back after work, okay?" Edward nodded.

"Goodbye." he said, sounding more cheerful.

"See you later, Edward!" Mandy called, going out the large door. She smiled, shaking her head. This was insane. But she was loving every minute of it. She began her trek down the hill, glancing backwards only once, to see Edward standing in a large window, watching her go.

Mandy pulled Levi's camera out of her pocket, going through all the pictures. She frowned. She'd taken them as proof that Edward existed. But now that she knew him, she couldn't use these just to win a bet. It wouldn't be right to him. . . it would be better if no one knew he was still alive up in that castle. As much as it pained her to do so, Mandy deleted all the pictures except for the ones which proved her staying the night. She smiled a little at the irony. She'd come up looking for proof, and now that she had it, she couldn't do anything with it. She had the best story of any she'd ever told, and she couldn't even tell it. She put the camera away, looking down the hill. All three of her friends were standing there, as well as Brian. What was he doing there? Jamie noticed her and waved. Mandy waved back. Suddenly, she lost her balance and slipped in the snow, sliding halfway down the hill.

"Genius, Mandy!" Brendan called. Mandy stood up, shivering.

"Shut up, Brendan! That was _freezing!"_ Mandy replied, finishing the short trek to the Gate, and slipping out. Jamie smiled at her.

"You made it!" she cried admiringly. "Are you okay?"

"No, J, I'm dead." Mandy said teasingly. "Nah, I'm good. It was a little cold, but I got some junk and built a fire, so it was cool."

"So, where's the proof?" Levi held out his hand. Mandy hesitated, but handed over the camera. Levi flipped it on, and the others gathered around.

"Woah, what is that?" Brendan asked, pointing. Mandy peeked over his shoulder. It was the picture of the hand in the middle of the garden. Whoops. She'd forgotten to delete that one.

"Uh, it's a shrubbery." Mandy said. "Duh?" Levi laughed.

"Yeah, you know. _Shrubbery!_" He raised his voice up high, Monty-Python style.

"You must bring back a Shrubbery! One that looks nice!" Brendan chimed in.

"And not too expensive." Levi added.

"So no Scissorhands?" Brian asked out of the blue. Mandy sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Nope. No Scissorhands." She said. _Well, _she justified to herself, _That is true. He's not Scissorhands. Just Edward. _

Just Edward.

Mandy turned and looked up at the house once more, biting her lip. She didn't know it, but Brian was watching her. She didn't know he was wondering what she'd really seen. Nor did she know that he was just as interested in what was in that mansion as she was.

Edward watched Mandy walk down the hill, looking at the small camera. He wondered what she was doing. He noticed a group of people at the bottom of the hill. Mandy's friends. He wondered if they were like Kim's friends. He took an instinctive step backwards, remembering Kim's friends. Remembering Jim. He wondered if Mandy was telling them about him. He hoped not. Not if they were like Jim. He didn't want them coming after him, or trying to hurt him. He didn't want to hurt them, either. He didn't want to hurt anyone at all. He didn't even want to hurt Jim. As much as he disliked him. Edward's father had taught him not to hurt people.

He smiled, remembering Mandy's interest in his father. She asked lots of questions. She made him talk a lot. But she looked as though she really wanted to know. She even took notes in the book she had about him. She seemed to like him. He liked that idea. Very much. He looked down at the ring hanging on its long chain.

_This means we're friends, okay?_

Friends. Edward had a friend. And she promised to come back and see him. Maybe even today. Because they were _friends_.

And that, Edward decided, as he found a new block of ice to carve, was a very good thing.

End Chapter Three

I know, it's short. But I wanted the next chapter all to itself, 'cos it's important. This is just sort of a bridge from point A to point B. Something I'm not very good at doing within the story itself. Lessee, do I have anything to explain? Oh.

How Edward Got The Stuff for the Machines - Let's just say that he has his sources. And you know, I'd imagine his scissors would work sorta like all-purpose tools, wouldn't they? Well they do now. Lol.

The whole ring issue - yes, I know it's cheesy. I was watching X-men 1.5 while I was writing that particular part and so I stole the scene where Logan gives Rogue his dogtag. I happen to like it.

My birthday is on Sunday! Reviews would be like presents, you know?


	4. Sepculations & Cleaning Frenzies

Chapter Four: Speculations and Cleaning Frenzies

AN: Yet another chap! I'm sorry about the LONG delay! It's been a rather emotionally draining time for me right now, and it's made it really hard to write. But I do try to write a little bit every day, even if it's just adding a couple words or a single sentence. Things are finally straightening out though, so we'll see what happens! In response to those wot reviewed:

Darlene: you know, right after you mentioned the magical cleaning of the machines, I remembered that in the original of that chap, Edward was carefully managing to handle a random feather duster when Mandy came down the stairs. I'd completely forgotten all about that. Lol!

Phantom of the Rock Era: Ehehe. You never fail to make me laugh. Thanks ever so for the review!

Skrblr: Thanks! It's funny, when I first write something, it's all dialogue, then I go back and add all the descriptiveness in the edit. And I'm trying to teach myself Latin, but it isn't working very well. I'm going to have to take a class in college... I'm homeschooled, so yeah.

Geckogirl: You're awesome! Thanks!

And to all...I _FINALLY_ got the movie for christmas! I've watched about 20 times so far, lol!

EMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

After making up a story about her "cold, lonely" night for her friends, Mandy went home, far too much on her mind for what was supposed to be a day of relaxing and sledding and building snowmen. Fortunately, she could do all her thinking at work. The greatest bonus about working at a library was that the entire time you were there, it was nice and quiet so you could think without much interruption. Mandy was rather grateful for that, she thought, as she showered and dressed, this time in a pair of heavy camouflage pants and a Pink Floyd T-shirt. She dried her black hair, grabbed her jacket, and went downstairs.

"So did you have fun at Jamie's last night?" Mandy's mother asked. Mandy, who was making herself a cup of cocoa, frowned.

"Wh–." she started, but remembered her cover story. "Oh! Yeah, it was a blast." Her mother smiled.

"That's good. What did you girls do?"

"Uh, you know. Hung out, played CD's, talked about boys." Mandy lied quickly. The microwave beeped, and Mandy gratefully grabbed her cocoa. "I've gotta go in to work, see you later, Mom!" And with that, she was out the door.

_That was not cool,_ she thought, walking down the snow-covered sidewalk. Mandy hated lying, but she didn't know what else to do. There was no way tell anyone about Edward. She didn't want anyone to go up there and bother him. He would hate that... he was so nervous around people. With good reason, of course. In fact, she figured she was pretty lucky to have gotten to _see_ him, let alone talk to him. She was even luckier that he actually liked her. What she didn't know was what to do now. How could she manage to keep Edward a secret if she kept going to see him? Going up to the top of the Hill and hanging out in the "Haunted old mansion" once was crazy enough. Going back a second time would barely be explainable, and anything after that would be far too suspicious. Not going back, however, wasn't an option. Not after the way Edward had looked at her.

Brian Larson watched as Mandy walked down the sidewalk towards the public library. She had her head down and was muttering to herself. Having known her since she and his little brother had met when they were four, he knew this meant she was thinking about something rather seriously. He had a pretty good feeling he wanted to know what she was thinking about. With that thought in mind, Brian ran to catch up with her.

"Hey." he greeted her, tapping her shoulder to get her attention. Mandy jumped about three feet into the air. She turned to look at Brian, who bit back his laughter at her reaction.

"Hi Brian." Mandy said, sighing. They continued walking, their breath making steamy puffs in the cold air.

"So." Brian began, grinning at her with his best conspiracy-sharing grin. "What's the real story?"

"What's what real story?" Mandy wanted to know. A nervous knot formed in her stomach, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"You know, what _really_ happened up at the House." The taller boy replied, tilting his head towards the mountain. Mandy froze only for a second. _How did he know?_ She wondered. She gave him a skeptical look.

"What do you mean what happened? I went, I looked around, I waited, I froze, I pried my frozen self from the floor, and came home." She replied nonchalantly. Again with the lies. . .at least she was getting good at them. If that was any consolation at all. Which it wasn't. Much.

"Yeah, that's what you keep telling everyone, but I don't believe it." Brian said, smirking. Mandy narrowed her eyes at him.

"So you're calling me a liar." She pointed a finger at him accusingly. Brian shrugged, then stuck his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans.

"I'm just saying that if I had gone and found something, like Edward Scissorhands," He paused and looked at Mandy meaningfully, "I'd probably want to keep it to myself. It's a pretty cool secret."

"What makes you think I'm keeping secrets?" Mandy demanded, mentally cursing herself as she heard her defensive tone.

"_Everyone _has secrets, Mandy. I know that." Brian replied seriously. "And only a crazy person would spend an entire night in a frozen, old castle without a good reason." Having reached the library, Mandy turned and looked up at Brian, her blue eyes meeting his grey ones. Her face was grim.

"Then I guess I'm crazy." she said evenly, then turned and walked into the library. Mentally, she applauded herself for keeping so cool. Yet she had to wonder...how did Brian know? As Mandy clocked in and headed to the back room to get some books to shelve, she ran over possibilities in her mind. Could he have come up to check on her without her or Edward noticing? Maybe he had followed her to make sure she'd made it up okay. Or perhaps he didn't really know, perhaps he was only guessing. The next question, she thought as she began shelving books, was _why_ did Brian want to know? Was he just interested in Edward like she was, or would he use whatever information he got for something less than good? Mandy sighed, pausing to lean her head against a shelf. This would make going back to see Edward even harder than it already was. She would have to wait a few days, now, and go on pretending there was nothing special about the mansion.

She just hoped Edward would understand.

Edward stood in his favorite window and watched for Mandy all day, hoping she'd come back soon. When it started to get dark, he started feeling rather doubtful. She wouldn't come back. Why would she? No one came back. His father hadn't, Kim hadn't, and Mandy wasn't going to come. No one came to see him more than once. Ever. Edward shook his head. No. Mandy _said _she would come back and bring something with her. A DVD player, whatever that was. It didn't matter. It just mattered that she'd come back. And she had said they were friends, and even given him something of hers! He looked up determinedly. She _would_ come back and he _would_ be waiting for her. A new idea dawned on him, and it made him smile.

Three flights of stairs, two left turns, and a scissor-handed break-in later, Edward had found his father's room of completed inventions. Or the ones that fit anyway. His biggest inventions were in the front hall, such as the cookie machine. Edward hadn't been here since before his father had died. He looked around the room, remembering his introduction to all the robots inside. . .

_It was just after his Father had first let him open his eyes. He could see, he could feel, he could think. . . everything was quite new and wonderful. The old inventor smiled, watching the young man look around, the innocence and awe of a child on his carefully designed face._

_Suddenly, a small round robot raced in, accompanied by a loud whirring noise. It began zipping around the room, leaving a shimmering streak wherever it went. It wasn't long before the entire floor shone. Edward's eyes widened in fear as the robot came near the table he was placed upon. The inventor felt a jolt of excitement. . . Edward's first reaction! It wasn't a very big reaction, but it was a reaction. And that was important. _

"_Don't be afraid, Edward," the inventor said gently. "It's only Leopold. He cleans the floors every Tuesday morning." Edward didn't speak, but understanding filled his dark eyes. The inventor could almost see the information passing through his mind. _

"_Leopold cleans floors on Tuesday, Quentin washes clothes on Monday, Geoffrey washes windows on Wednesday, Marguerite dusts the inventions on Thursday, Justina polishes the statues and bannisters on Friday, and Bruce gardens on Saturday." the inventor continued, watching as Edward took all this in. _

"_Sunday?" Edward asked. His Father smiled, happy to hear Edward's voice for the first time. He rather liked it, it was a pleasant voice. He was also proud of Edward for asking such a good question. Edward had realized he didn't know something, and had gone after the knowledge. The inventor was very pleased._

"_Ah," he said with a sigh. "On Sunday I let Angelique sing." _

Edward looked at the collection of robots in the room. His brothers and sisters, he thought to himself. He walked over to the small round robot. . . Leopold. He leaned down to blow some of the dust off Leopold's once-gleaming surface, then tapped it with his scissors.

"Wake up." He said in a half whisper. To his great surprise and delight, Leopold did so. Its sensors indicated that the floors were quite dirty, with many, many years of dust and grime. It zipped off, cleaning as fast as it could. Edward watched it for a moment, rather pleased with its performance. Considering the fact that it had sat locked in a room for countless years, it wasn't doing half bad. Clouds of dirt and dust flew up from the floor. Edward moved on to the tall thin robot with the green lights that seemed to be eyes, and a red "mouth".

"Wake up, Justina." He said, prodding the machine until it, too, started up. He moved on down the line, until the cleaning robots were all up and moving around the mansion. He left Bruce where he was, however...the gardens were _his_ job now. He did silently apologize to Bruce, however. . . they were brothers, in a way. Perhaps he would let Bruce do the gardens once or twice. Someday.

Edward walked back out into the main hall, and a smile found its way onto his pale, scarred face. The mansion was already looking better. Leopold had uncovered a few layers of grime from the floors, and Geoffrey was doing wonders with the windows. To Edward's great surprise, the robots were even fixing things that were parts of their duties. Marguerite tweaked some of the machines, Justina re-built bannisters, Geoffrey repaired broken windows, and little Leopold even managed to clear away fallen debris.

Edward's smile lasted longer than most of his smiles as he returned to the room to find more robots to help him restore his house. When Mandy returned, she would have a surprise, he thought. She would come to a proper house, and be able to have a proper visit. There would be a fire in the fireplace, and more than just cookies to eat. She would be warm and comfortable. Edward's father had wanted him to be the proper gentleman, and had taught him everything he would need to know about it. It was time he showed it!

It wasn't until four days after the Dare that Mandy was able to come back up to see Edward. She had put her portable DVD player and her favorite movie, Nightmare Before Christmas into her messenger bag, along with other random things she thought Edward might be interested in. She slipped off early that morning, leaving a note for her mother saying that she'd gone on a hike, which was true, and it was something she did every so often, so no one would worry. In fact, Mandy wished she'd thought of the excuse before.

Mandy climbed up the Hill. The first thing she noticed was that the vines covering the inner gate were neater, swept back a bit so it was easier to get in. The second thing she noticed was the mansion itself. Something seemed different about it. It seemed to sparkle more than it had the last time she'd seen it. Mandy shook her head. It had to be her imagination, she decided. Because it was darker last time, it seemed to be brighter now. That was all it was. She ran up to the front door and slipped inside without another thought. She took a deep breath.

"ED-," she began to shout, but stopped halfway through, her jaw dropping. "...ward?" The rest of the name came out in surprise, as she stared at what she remembered as being a creepy, dusty hall. Now it was shining and magnificent looking. The floors shone, the windows sparkled, the morning sun gleaming off the freshly polished machinery. Mandy was simply in awe.

"What happened here?" She wondered. At that moment, Edward came down the stairs, looking rather dejected. He stopped dead when he saw Mandy, his whole face brightening. She _had_ come back!

"Hello." he said, coming the rest of the way down the stairs. Mandy stared at him in awe.

"What on earth did you do?" She wanted very much to know. "This place looks like something out of a fairytale! Like, Beauty and The Beast, or Sleeping Beauty or something! How did you do it?" Edward gave her a small smile.

"I woke up the inventions." He replied in a way which Mandy found rather cryptic. However, she was too impressed by the state of the castle to say anything about it.

"Well it looks awesome!" Mandy praised. Just then, a small robot zipped into the room, and crashed right into Mandy, who fell over with an incredibly girly shriek.

"Holy snot!" She cried from the floor. "What was _that_?"

"Leopold. He cleans on Tuesdays." Edward explained. Mandy raised an eyebrow, picking herself up off the floor.

"But it's Sunday." She pointed out. Edward shrugged.

"Maybe he's confused." he suggested. Mandy nodded seriously.

"Probably from being locked up for so long." She agreed. She smiled. "So, Master Edward, since you're living in such splendor, shall we take a tour?" Edward frowned slightly.

"I don't know what everything is..." he admitted. "Father only let me go in the main rooms and my room." Mandy's blue eyes lit up.

"Then I have an even better idea!" she announced. "The most fun thing to do in a big empty house is explore! So let's do it! If Leopold doesn't mind, that is." She looked at the small robot which was still zipping around the room. It seemed consenting, so Mandy looked at Edward.

"Okay." He said, curious as to what the rest of the house held. He didn't ever explore. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because his father had told him not to. Then again, the thought had never occurred to him. He just stuck to what he knew, until someone taught him something else.

Mandy grabbed his arm and marched him off, throwing her bag onto the bannister. She started talking about the library, and about her friends, and pretty much anything that came to mind. Edward's smile returned. . . Mandy had come back. . . and the fun was already beginning.

End Chapter

YES! FINALLY!

Things You Should Know:

Leopold - He's the only one who I didn't just completely randomly name. The name Leopold is the name of my "demon" who sits on my shoulder and gives me evil ideas. Tribute to my newest influence. . .

Why the 'bots started up - The inventor, I noticed, liked to give his creations rather distinct faces and personalities. I think one invention would recognize another. So when Edward called them, they all woke up.

Yeah, you know? That's about it for now. Hmm. You know something, I think I need to create a name for the inventor so I can stop calling him The Inventor. I'll work on that, 'kay?

Anywho, reviews are incredibly welcome! And I promise to work very hard to get the next chapter out ASAP. Things are returning to something of normalcy, except I now lack a boyfriend and have gained a cell phone. (Those two things have nothing to do with each other, though. . .I just wanted to make sure y'all knew not EVERYTHING was depressing 'round here!)

Out-

AJ and as always: Mini-Edward!

(this chap brought to you by my Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Soundtrack!)


	5. Exploration

Chapter Five: Exploration

A/N: I LIVE! YAYUH! Soooo sorry about the…what, SIX MONTH delay? Seven? Yeah. Very sorry. I had a lot going, my laptop decided it no longer wanted to be on the internet, my muses abandoned me, and I went to Jamaica. But if you want to know more about all THAT, you'll have to go to my xanga. ;)

I am a bit back now, though. We'll see how long it lasts this time, but yeah! Let's do this, right?

Warning: Chapter is a bit morbid near the end. Just a bit. Y'all are burton fans, I wouldn't worry much 'bout it.

Begin Chapter:

"The most fun thing to do in a big empty house is explore!" Mandy exclaimed. And with that, she grabbed Edward's arm and they set off. They walked up a short flight of stairs and found themselves in a long hallway. Mandy looked at Edward, letting go of his arm.

"This is as good a place to start as any." She announced. "What do you think is behind this door?" A mischievous grin spread across her freckled face. Edward, however, frowned at the door, trying to remember what was behind it. He didn't remember ever going through that door, nor what that room could possibly be.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Mandy replied, shrugging. "It'll be a surprise for both of us, which is more fun. Ready?" She twisted the handle and shoved…and the door didn't move an inch. Mandy frowned and tried again. Nothing. She tried once more, this time pulling. After a few more failed attempts, she finally let go.

"Well, this sucks." She said in a defeated, if not pouty tone. Edward frowned.

"What?" he asked

"Our first door and it's locked. We're off to a great start, areen't we?" Mandy explained. "You know where your father kept his keys?" Edward shook his head.

"No." he said. "Excuse me." Mandy stepped aside, giving him a questioning look. He walked up to the door and performed his lock-picking trick on it. Seconds later, it swung open, as if by magic. Edward turned back to Mandy, a somewhat pleased look on his face. Mandy whistled appreciatively.

"That's pretty cool. You didn't break it or scratch it or anything!" she complimented. Edward's eyes widened. _Jim!_ That was what Jim had said. Mandy noticed his rather fearful look and raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?" she asked. Perhaps exploring wasn't such a great idea after all. Edward pushed all thoughts of Jim from his mind. Mandy wasn't Jim. She was nicer. And she was his _friend_. Wasn't she? Edward blinked, somewhat shocked at himself. Of course she was!

"Yes." He replied firmly. Mandy studied him for a moment, then shrugged. She walked into the room, her mouth falling open as she took it in.

"Woah!" she cried. "This is awesome!" Edward followed her into the room and looked around. The floors were tiled in white marble, and the walls were of white and gold paneling. IT was a welcome change from the rest of the house. A large claw-footed tub sat in the middle of the room, along with a spindly gold table. The table still had dusty soaps and shampoos on it. A basin sat against the wall, surrounded in candles of all sizes. Some of them were brand-new, some of them were halfway burnt, and a couple were even down to stubs. Mandy was still in awe of the room.

"I mean, I know it's a bathroom and all, but it's the coolest bathroom I've ever seen in my entire life. _Hello!_" Mandy cried as Leopold shot past her foot and into the room, detecting even more dust and grime. Though Leopold could open doors that were shut, it couldn't do anything about locked doors. It began rapidly cleaning away years of dust. Mandy laughed, and Edward smiled.

"I think this was the master bath." Mandy speculated.

"My father's bath." Edward added. Mandy walked over to the basin, picking up a towel. She looked at the gold initials monogrammed into the towel.

"L. M. I wonder what that stands f—oh, no, here we go." Mandy put down the towel and picked up a shaving kit. "Liam Montgomery. Very Nice."

"Father. . ." Edward whispered. Mandy looked at Edward thoughtfully.

"What was he like?" Mandy wanted to know. Edward looked past Mandy, into the years long gone. She watched all this with great interest; finally she was going to unravel some of the mystery that was Edward Scissorhands.

"He was kind. He helped me. He knew everything. He…" Edward's deep brown eyes filled with longing, and suddenly his young, innocent face grew very old and tired. "He loved me." This was said so quietly, Mandy almost missed it. She was silent, biting her lip as she watched him. He looked so sad; she wanted to do something to help. But what could she do? She couldn't bring back the dead for him. More than anything she wanted to make him smile. _So, why don't you?_ Mandy scolded herself. She took a breath.

"Dude, I am so in love with this tub!" Mandy exclaimed suddenly, running and jumping into the tub. Edward looked up at her, quite startled. She stood up in the tub, fully clothed, putting a snooty expresson on her face. She put one hand on her hip, turned up her nose, and flicked a wrist out at Edward.

"Oh Edward, I do believe I've run out of bubbles! Have Leopold run to the store and get me some at _once!_ And they simply _must_ be vanilla scented. Heaven forbid anything ordinary touch my pampered and well groomed skin!" she moaned in an over-exaggerated snooty accent. Edward just frowned at her.

"Come on, I don't care who you are, that was funny." Mandy complained. Edward understood. She was making a joke. He smiled appreciatively. Mandy shrugged.

"Well it ain't no laugh, but thanks." She took a bow and—"Ouch!" Mandy lost her blanace, slipping down into the tub, disappearing from sight. Edward came over and peered over the edge of the giant tub.

"Wow, that kinda hurt." Mandy remarked, rubbing her head and wincing.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, a worried expression on his face. Mandy nodded, grinning at him.

"Gimee a hand?" she held out her own hand. Continuing her comedy routine, she made a face. "Help me! I've fallen and I can't get up!" Edward took a step backwards, the worry on his face changing to fear. No…He remembered reaching out toward others. He remembered what happened. Kim, Kevin, Jim… his father….

"Now I want you to stand." Liam said. Edward gave him a rather helpless look. The legs were quite new. He understood the mechanics of using them, but understanding and doing were two completely separate matters.

"_I can't." Edward said. "I don't know how." Liam smiled. As mucha s he told himself that Edward was simply another invention, an experiment, he couldn't help but love the boy like his own son. He had given up being strictly scientific with Edward ages ago. There was just no way. _

"_Shall I help you?" The old inventor asked. _

"_Thank you, father." Edward said, giving him an exaggerated smile. He had almost gotten emotion down, but there was still work to be done. Liam took one of Edward's scissorhands gently and eased him upwards. All of a sudden, Edward slipped off the table. He landed on his feet, but for a moment, his knees buckled under the new weight. As he faltered, he sliced through Liam's arm, from elbow to wrist. _

"_Ahh!" Liam cried, pulling his injured arm to his chest. Edward's eyes widened. _

"_I'm sorry!" he cried in horror. Liam gave him a kind smile. _

"_Yes, yes, we will have to be careful about that." He said. He pushed a button on his cane, and Lucille came out to bandage up his arm. _

"_I hurt you." Edward stated sorrowfully. _

"Oh, it's all right, Edward. I'll be all right. We just have to be careful until I can finish your hands, that's all." Liam said soothingly. He laughed. "That means no dancing, you hear me?" A joke. Edward gave him a smile…

"Edward? Hello?" Mandy was saying. Edward returned to the present.

"Yes?" he asked, nor remembering what was happening.

"Remember? Ahh, I've fallen and I can't get up!" Mandy said teasingly. Edward's face fell.

"No, I can't. I'm sorry!" he said quickly, a slightly panicked tone entering his soft voice. Mandy frowned thoughtfully.

"Hey, it's cool. I've got it." She said, climbing out of the tub and brushing the dust from her jeans. Edward looked down at the floor.

"Hey, come on, don't get all depressed on me, now." Mandy said, walking over and touching his arm. He flinched, causing her to frown again.

"Are you okay?" Mandy asked. Edward shook his head.

"I'm fine." He said. "Thank you." Mandy wasn't convinced, but what else could she do?

"Onward?" She offered. Edward nodded. Mandy pushed open the door on the other side of the room. Leopold shot past her again, and this time she could have sworn she heard a complaint in the humming mechanics.

"Master bedroom." Mandy called over her shoulder to Edward as she walked into the room. Edward frowned. Something about that room seemed to ring a bell. But what was so special about it?

"HOLY CRAP!" Mandy shrieked. Edward followed the sound into the room. Mandy stood beside the giant four-poster bed. One of the curtains was pulled back. Mandy had gone pale, both hands up over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Edward stood behind Mandy and peered into the curtain. Oh. _That _was what was special about the room. Edward had to look away.

"Edward, is that…" Mandy whispered in horror.

"He didn't wake up." Edward said. "I took him to bed, but he didn't wake up."

"Oh…jeez." Mandy backed up. "You…that's…"

Edward stopped listening, once again, remembering.

_Edward stared at the blood on his blade. He looked down at the old inventor. He hadn't made a sound when Edward cut him. Edward wondered why. Perhaps he was simply very tired. Yes, that had to be the reason. Very carefully, Edward slipped the old man into his arms. He carried him to his bedroom and laid him out on his bed. He pulled the curtains around the bed. _

"_Goodnight, Father." Edward whispered, slipping out of the room. _

_The next morning, Liam never came to breakfast. Nor lunch. In fact, he stayed in bed all that day. And the next. And the next. And… the next. He never woke up again. _

"Edward…" Mandy was saying. "I don't think I want to explore anymore."

"Okay." Said Edward. Mandy went back through the door and into the bath again. Edward turned to follow, but stopped and looked back at the rotted corpse on the bed. All that was left of his father. He had long since figured out that his father was never waking up. Dead, Peg had called it, when she was talking to her husband about his father. Edward's father was dead. Edward pulled the curtain shut on the bed.

"Goodnight." He said. He then followed Mandy out the door and into the hall. Mandy decided to come back the next day. To watch a movie, she said. She just… needed to go home. Which was fine with Edward. He, too, needed to think.

Mandy walked home slowly, thinking about her visit. She was still shaken by what she'd seen in the bed. The man was decayed to almost nothing but bone, though skin still remained. Dust had covered the corpse, as well as cobwebs, and possibly a spider. It had been the single most horrific thing Mandy had ever seen. She'd been terrified. Her skin still crawled. But Edward… the whole time he'd just seemed sad. Not horrified at all.

Once more, Mandy wondered what sort of grip Edward had on reality. How much did he understand about life and death? How much did he understand about anything?

Mandy sighed. She would have to devote a lot more time to this mystery than she'd expected. This wasn't just a game, playing adventure all _Wizard of Oz_. This wasn't somewhere over the rainbow, this was a person, a very strange, mysterious person. But a person all the same. This was no fairytale. But there seemed to be a fair amount of magic where Edward was involved.

How much magic remained to be seen.

End Chapter Five.

Okay, wow. This one sort of had a mind of its own. I'd been wrestling with it for a long time, because I felt it was a little morbid, but the more I resisted it, the harder it was for me to write it any other way. So I just had to go with morbid.

I'll see what I can do about getting another chap up, but I promise you nothing. It doesn't seem to work out very well, does it? Meh. I am planning on writing some ficlets in other categories, though, so keep an eye or two open.

Peace!

aj

Review?


	6. Movie Night

Movie Night

A/N: What apology haven't I apologized yet? It takes months, I know, but every so often, I pop out a chapter for this silly little story, generally inspired because some random awesome person reviewed it and reminded me that it actually exists. Apparently it's been a year or something since I posted on this 'un, considering the last a/n I wrote was when I got home from Jamaica LAST year, and I just got back THIS year.

If it's any consolation, it's been a long time since I wrote on my other chapter-having fic too.

Anyway...I'll just um...

Story:

Mandy had a philosophy. Being a notorious movie junkie, she was under the firm belief that there was a movie for every occasion, mood, and person. _Meet Joe Black_ was the movie to show at a funeral, _The Breakfast Club_was the movie to watch when you felt lonely, and _Nightmare __Before__ Christmas_ defined Mandy. However, the task at hand was slightly more difficult. She was browsing the movie-rental place looking for a movie for Edward. All three of the afore mentioned movies had been considered, then dropped. While Death had a somewhat similar personality to Edward, maybe a movie about Death wasn't what the doctor ordered. _The Breakfast Club_ was a great classic to fall back on, but the geek in the movie bore an eerie resemblance to the boy Edward had ended up killing when he had come down from the mountain, so that would never do. And as for _Nightmare_, it just didn't seem fitting.

"What matches a supernatural guy living up on a mountain all by himself?" Mandy murmured to herself.

"What was that?" A voice from behind her asked. She turned to see Brian, once again, right behind her. Her best friend's brother was turning out to be a very sneaky person.

"Wow, stalker much?" Mandy chided him, grinning. Brian shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but Levi came over to them at that moment.

"Hey, Mandy!" He greeted her cheerfully, quirking an eyebrow. "Come here often?"

"All the time!" Mandy replied, feigning obliviousness toward his teasing "pick-up line."

"D'oh!" Levi winced. "Ouch. Ooh, hey, we should do a movie night tonight. Me 'n Bri were going to anyway, but you and Brendan and Jamie should come over, too."

"Um, no...um...I can't." Mandy said. She had promised Edward she'd come up tonight. She'd been back to hang out with him several times since the Exploration Incident. They had discovered Liam's library and spent a lot of time there together, looking through old books. Edward had even been able to recite her a silly poem about a man who wore crepe paper clothes. Tonight, she had told him she'd bring him the movies she'd been promising for a while.

"Mandy, you haven't been hanging out with us very much lately. What's up?" Levi asked, his playful face becoming serious.

"Nothing! What are you talking about?" Mandy asked, though she knew he was right.

"Come on, you haven't been around much since..." Levi's eyes widened. "Since the night we dared you to go up the mountain." Mandy froze, her heart leaping up to her throat.

"Mandy...you're not..." Levi paused, obvious dots connecting behind his grey eyes. Mandy closed her own eyes, waiting for the awful truth to come out. "You're not mad at us are you?"

"What?!" Mandy cried in surprise.

"For making you go up there and ruining your favorite story." Levi explained. "We are sorry..."

"Oh! Oh..." Mandy sighed, relieved. "No, Levi, that's not it at all! My mom...has just wanted me to stay home a lot lately. Like tonight, we're doing a movie night, me and her. You know, because of my dad and all." Light dawned behind Levi's eyes. Mandy's father had died two days before Christmas four years ago on his way home from a meeting one day. He had hit black ice and crashed into a semi on the highway.

"Oh...I'm sorry." Levi said quietly. "I should have figured that out...wow. Are you okay and everything? You know, because you're my best friend and stuff..."

"Levi, it's cool. My mom just wants to keep me close." Mandy said. It was a lie...honestly, her mother became more distant this time of year. She took on more hours at work and was home less. Mandy didn't mind so much; this gave her more opportunities to see Edward. She realized, briefly, how many lies she had told since becoming Edward's friend, but disregarded it instantly. He had to be a secret.

"All right. Well, I'm here. Call me if you need me." Levi said, lightly hitting her on the shoulder (his way of showing affection) then walking away.

"Well, that was one awkward moment come and gone." Mandy said to herself. She turned back to rack of movies when two were shoved into her face. She blinked at them for a moment, then looked up at the person who had put them there.

"These are the ones you're looking for." Brian said. Mandy looked down and studied the two movies she held. Her face lit up.

"Wow, hey! They are! Thanks, Brian!" She gave him a big grin, then went to check out. It wasn't until she was halfway up the Hill that she realized he hadn't just found two good movies, he'd found the_ perfect_movies for the situation. The first was _How __The__ Grinch Stole __Christmas_ starring Jim Carrey. It was the perfect movie for the time of year (one of Mandy's favorites, in fact) plus it centered around a guy who lived in an amazing invention-filled fortress on top of a mountain and happened to be an unrecognized genius. The second movie was Disney's Pinochio, which fit Edward's story almost to a T. Perfect. But how could he have known to pick those two?

_"Everyone has secrets."_

Did he know? Mandy's pace slowed as she thought of this. If Brian knew, then who else could know? Her friends? No...Levi didn't act like he knew. And no one else had said anything. No, no one else knew. And how could Brian know? It was impossible. Mandy pushed the thought from her mind. The movies were just coincidental. And that was that.

Edward was happier than he had been in a long time. Mandy came up every day that she could. When she couldn't come, he didn't worry about her never coming back. They were good friends now, much better friends than he'd been with anyone when he'd come down the mountain fifty years previous. Mandy wasn't worried about him fitting in...she was just his friend. They had explored a little more (though rather cautiously since the first day) and found the Library. Since then, Edward had learned the story of Rumpelstiltskin, _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, and Carrie, by a rather scary man named Stephen King.

Tonight, Mandy was bringing movies. Edward had seen one movie with the Boggs and had enjoyed it very much. He was excited to watch another. He loved watching the tiny people move around, telling stories.

"Edward!" Mandy's voice drifted up to him from the front hall. He made his way down the stairs.

"Hello, Mandy!" he said, smiling at her. She held up her army-green messenger bag.

"Movies!" She explained. "Come on, let's go to the library. We can put the player on the coffee table and sit on the comfy couch in front of the fire...it's cold!" Edward nodded. It _was_cold...he had already had Joseph (the large, woodcutting/chimneysweep robot) build fires in the front hall, the sitting room, and the library...the three places he and Mandy frequented. The two of them made their way down one of the hallways toward the library, chatting as they went. It was strange: a week and a half earlier, he had barely been able to say two words to her. Edward wasn't exactly Chatty-Cathy or anything, but he was a thousand times more relaxed than before. The difference was phenomenal.

"I've got two movies. I figure we can watch one tonight and one tomorrow night." Mandy said. Edward nodded his agreement as they set up the DVD player (a strange contraption that came folded up. DVD's were even stranger...little plastic circles with holes in the middle...very odd indeed.)

"There. Let's watch this one first...it's one of my very favorites!" Mandy said, putting _How the Grinch Stole Christmas _into the player. She skipped over to the wall and turned out the lights, so the only sources of light were the fire and the DVD player. She returned to her seat next to Edward on the couch as the movie began with its magnificent journey into a snowflake.

_"Inside of a snowflake like the one on your sleeve, there happened a story you must __see__ to believe_._"_ Mandy glanced at Edward. From those first few words, spoken by the admirable Anthony Hopkins, he was mesmerized. She smiled and made herself comfortable, pleased with her choice. _Brian's choice_, a voice in the back of her head reminded her. She sighed, pushing the thought from her head once more, concentrating on the movie.

Edward was instantly in love with the movie. He loved snow, and the idea that a tiny world lived inside of a snowflake amused him. He also loved the characters and the little town of Whoville. And he found the story very near to his own heart...seeing as he knew what it was like to live by himself at the top of a mountain, though he rather wished he had a dog like Max to keep him company. In short, he found the movie simply magnificent. As it ended, he found he had a grand idea or three for some ice-sculptures.

He made to get up, but found a weight pinning his leg to the seat. He looked down in surprise; Mandy had fallen asleep, her head resting on his knee. He hadn't even noticed. His feelings mixed suddenly; Mandy was definitely asleep, and thus he didn't want to disturb her. But he didn't like her on his knee like that–what if something bad happened like it often did when people touched him? And he really wanted to go sculpt ice...at the very thought, his scissors twitched in anticipation. He held his breath, willing his scissors to stop snipping, lest he clip Mandy by mistake. What should he do?

_"If a lady is making you uncomfortable, you don't have to stay...simply carefully extract yourself from the situation. Isn't etiquette marvelous? It always gives us a way out of uncomfortable situations!" _Liam's voice floated back to Edward. Slowly, carefully, Edward eased his knee out from under Mandy's head. Without warning, her head flopped down onto the couch. He winced, watching her.

"Mehh." she grumbled, her nose wrinkling. But thankfully, she remained asleep. Edward breathed a sigh of relief; his leg was free. He stood and quietly left the room. He ignored the warm spot on his leg where her head had been with a fierce determination. He hadn't liked it there at all.

It was only a little more than ten minutes later when Mandy awoke, confused.

"Where's the movie?" She asked, sitting up and staring at the DVD player's screensaver. The last thing she remembered was brave Cindy Lu Who going up the mountain to invite the Grinch to the Whobilation...and now it was over? For a few minutes, she watched the logo bounce around the screen, then she looked at Edward...only he wasn't there.

"Edward?" Mandy stood up and looked around. He wasn't in the library. She realized he must have gone upstairs so he wouldn't disturb her. She smiled. He was such a sweet guy. She climbed the many stairs to Edward's attic bedroom. She had offered to help him fix up the place, but he had declined, saying he liked it.

As she neared the top of the stairs, she heard a sound she'd never heard before: the fast-paced snipping of many sets of scissors at once. Her breath caught in her chest-it was the sound of Edward Scissorhands at work. She crept into the attic, not wanting to disturb him. He was hacking away at a block of ice, a snowflake in the making. Mandy sat down on the floor, watching him silently, her mouth open. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. He stabbed and clipped furiously at the ice, the shavings flying through the air, looking remarkably like snow For the first time since she'd met him, Edward's movements were precise and confident. This was Edward in his true element. He was an artist.

Edward's scissors finally slowed.He stepped back to admire his work–a snowflake with a globe in its center. It was definitely a memoir of the movie he'd just seen.

"Oh! I get it! Dude, that's so awesome!" Mandy cried before she could stop herself. She clapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn't meant to say anything at all. Edward whirled around, embarrassed. But his brown eyes darkened, his face hardening.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. Mandy's own face clouded over. She had never seen him like this before. He didn't seem scared as much as he seemed...defensive. Had she intruded too much by watching him sculpt?

"Wh–." she began, then realized Edward wasn't looking at her, but behind her, toward the door. Mandy turned to look as well. Her face paled.

"Brian..." she whispered. "No..."

End Chapter Six.

I know it was slightly short, but don't worry...the other chapter is written.

To Be Explained:

The movies - I really went nuts with those, didn't I? I don't know _where_ the heck that came from. . . but you have to admit, they fit. And remember Pinochio, that gets important sometime later.

All the stuff that we missed - I know I could've given it a chapter all it's own where they discover the library and read books and such, but then I thought to myself, why? Nothing really phenomenal happens there...they just become better friends and hang out and stuff. More important things are happening here.

Mandy's Dad - Yes...it's cliche. But you've got to admit, Mandy herself is pretty cliche, right?

That's it for now...review! I told you how that inspires me, right? '

AJ


	7. Brian

Chapter Seven: Brian

A/N: Okay, so I had this one written already, but after posting the sixth chapter, I realized I was too hasty with that one and decided to revise this one a little bit before posting…goodness knows it needed it!

Anyway…From where we left off…

Story:

"Brian..." Mandy whispered. "No..."

"Um. Hi." Brian said awkwardly, coming all the way into the room. Though she was nervous, she nearly grinned….it was times like these she knew Brian was related to Levi.

"Why are you here?" Edward asked, taking a step toward Mandy, his scissors clipping nervously. She stood, studying Edward's face. He seemed terrified…yet at the same time, protective. Of what, she wondered. Her?

"Edward, he's a friend of mine. Brian Larson." she said soothingly. "He must have...he must have followed me here. I'm sorry." She turned to look at Brian, narrowing her eyes. He looked down. Mandy returned her gaze to Edward. He looked at Mandy for a long time, and then nodded, his face serious. There was a moment of awkward silence.

"So...wow. You're really Edward Scissorhands, huh?" Brian said at last, trying to break the ice. Edward just looked at him. Mandy sighed.

"Edward, I'll take him out of here. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She said quietly to Edward, who nodded, staring at Brian apprehensively. Mandy marched over to Brian and grabbed his forearm. The fact that he was four inches taller than Mandy, three years older than her, and the guy she'd looked up to for ages all ceased to matter. Next thing he knew, Brian was being dragged down the stairs by his kid brother's best friend.

"That was Edward Scissorhands!" he remarked, somewhat dazed by his discovery.

"_He_," Mandy said sharply, "Is my friend. And you scared him."

"I didn't mean to." Brian said, feeling slightly sheepish. They marched out the door and started down the hill. Mandy became angrier with each step. About halfway down, she couldn't take it any longer. She stopped and whipped around to face Brian, who put on the brakes as quick as he could so he didn't bump into her.

"What were you _doing_up there?" Mandy demanded.

"I could ask the same of you, you know." Brian replied. Mandy's jaw dropped.

"I was seeing my _friend!_" she exclaimed.

"Your _secret_ friend. You've been lying to everyone. You told Levi that your mom was keeping you at home, you told Jamie that you were going to visit your grandmother, you told your mom that you were hanging out with a sick Jamie...who am I missing? Me? You told me you didn't see anything up there...repeatedly." Brian accused.

"What do you expect? You really think I'm going to tell everyone about Edward?" Mandy cried. "I recall you being the one to tell me that if _you_had discovered someone like Edward, you'd keep it a secret, too." Brian looked down at this.

"You could have at least told me." he said quietly. "You know you can trust me."

"I _thought_ I could, anyway." Mandy snapped. Then she sighed. "And about telling…I was going to. At first. I took tons of pictures that night. But when I started talking to him, I realized that maybe that wasn't the best thing for him." Brian stared at her.

"What are you talking about? You've been sitting around telling stories about the guy for ages...practically for your entire life. You run around getting the scoop on him...christ, you even keep that stupid fangirl diary about him. What's different now?" he wanted to know. Mandy took a breath to reply angrily, but stopped. She sighed heavily.

"When I started all that...when I went up the Hill for the first time that night...Edward was just a legend...a fantasy. He even seemed like that when I first met him. But when I started talking to him...okay, when he started talking to _me_, I realized he's nothing like any of the stories say. He's a _real_ _person_, not a fantasy. I learned that he's sweet and gentle and Brian...he's terrified of the world. Of people in general. And as much as I wanted to say something to you guys, I…I couldn't just expose him to everyone like that. It would hurt him." Mandy explained. Brian ran a hand through his brown hair.

"Yeah...I get it. And...I'm sorry I followed you. I just wanted to make sure you were all right and, you know, not getting into trouble or anything." he said.

"Why, 'cause I'm your little brother's best friend?" Mandy rolled her eyes.

"No...'cause you're you." Brian smiled. "You're always chasing stories with a mind full of dreams and a heart too big for your own good. You trust everything strange and mysterious because just maybe it's your ticket through the wardrobe." Mandy put her hands on her hips.

"And what, you think that makes me stupid or silly?" she wanted to know.

"Nah. If you weren't you, I wouldn't love you as much as I do." Brian replied, his grin widening. Mandy's eyes copied his grin.

Edward watched from his window as Mandy dragged the tall boy...what had his name been? Brian. That was it. He watched as Mandy dragged Brian from his house. Part of the way down the hill, they stopped, looking as though they were arguing. He appreciated the fact that Mandy was defending him. He knew she didn't mean to lead the boy to his home. Her own look of horror had explained that. And from the way she was yelling at him, Edward figured (with a great amount of relief, to be sure) that Brian wasn't coming back. It was good—Brian made him nervous.

Then, without warning (and to Edward's great surprise), Mandy threw her arms around Brian, kissing him. Edward took a step back, several thoughts and memories flooding his mind at once. One memory stood out for a moment– the last time he saw Kim.

_Kim and Edward looked down at Jim's broken, bloodied form on the garden path below. A grim satisfaction set in Edward's face, even as regret began to pull at his chest. Kim was safe. Jim was gone forever. He would never wake up, just like Edward's father. He couldn't look any longer. Edward turned away from the window. Kim followed him. He turned around and looked down into her wide, frightened eyes. _

_"Goodbye." he said softly. He knew she had to leave him. The people were all coming __They__ wanted to hurt him, and they would want to do so even more after they found Jim's body. Kim's breath quickened as her face became troubled. Suddenly, she leaned up and touched his lips with her own. Edward's eyes widened. It lasted for only a moment, for Kim was so distraught that she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. But it was enough...he had never felt anything like that kiss. _

_"I love you." She whispered. Edward's eyes closed, his __ecstacy__ completed with those three words. For the first time since his father had died, he didn't feel alone at all. For that brief moment, he was loved again. _

Edward winced. Without realizing it, he had reached up to touch the place on his lips where Kim had kissed him with the tip of his finger. But...his eyes darkened...he didn't _have_ fingers. More moments flashed through his mind...Mandy and Brian, Kim and Jim...Kim running past Edward toward Jim, Jim putting his _hands_on Kim's waist, touching her hair, her face. Kim and Jim became Mandy and Brian. Edward suddenly realized how the past was going to repeat itself.

He glanced down at Mandy and Brian, who were now walking down the hill, hand in hand. No...it wouldn't happen again. Mandy was different from Kim. She wouldn't abandon him now, would she? And Brian...he wouldn't stop her from coming would he? No. Edward looked down at the ring hanging on its chain around his neck. Mandy was his friend. Right? The past couldn't repeat itself.

He turned toward the un-touched block of ice behind him. He stabbed at it furiously, clipping blindly, anger, fear, and overwhelming hurt fueling him. Ice shavings whirled around him.

_"I thought __you__ made it snow!" _

If only it were true. If he made the snow, then he wouldn't be forgotten. He wouldn't be hated. He would be loved. Every time it snowed, people would look up into the sky and think of him. Children would laugh and play and thank him. The elderly would smile and tell stories about him. And his girls would remember him and dance in the snow. And every snowflake would kiss their faces, their hair, their hands. It wouldn't matter that he couldn't touch them with his unfinished hands; in his own way, he still could.

One final stab, and Edward was finished. He walked away without even looking at the finished sculpture. But in the place of the ice block stood a girl. She was not quite Kim, but she wasn't precisely Mandy, either. She was something of a mix between them, her face rounder than Kim's but not quite as round as Mandy's. Her eyes were bigger than Mandy's but not as big as Kim's, and her hair was just between their two lengths. She wore a scrunched blouse like Kim always wore, but baggy cargo pants like Mandy's. In her hands, she held a heart. This heart had a crack right through the middle. The girl was looking at the heart. She was smiling, a smile that was too pretty to be cruel.

Edward went downstairs. He turned off the light in the main hall and went to the library. Mandy had left all her things. This brightened his mood somewhat. He could probably figure out how to watch the movie again. Then he noticed the second movie Mandy had brought (and, incidentally, left.)

"So I was thinking." Mandy said, leaning her head on Brian's shoulder. They were sitting on Brian's couch in his livingroom. He grinned down at her.

"Yes?"

"Maybe you can come with me tomorrow...and I'll introduce you to Edward properly. And we can all be friends." Brian's grin widened.

"Does this mean you're sorry about not introducing us sooner?" he teased. Mandy nodded.

"After all," she said, "You're the only other kid in town with as much of a fascination with Edward Scissorhands as me. Besides, this way I get to hang out with Edward..._and_you!"

"Good plan." Brian agreed, kissing the top of her head. At that moment, Levi and Brendan walked into the room.

"Oh." Brendan said, blinking at the couple on the couch in surprise.

"Aw, gross!" Levi moaned. "Mandy! Why him?" Mandy giggled.

"It's a thing. Get used to it." she said. "Or I'll beat you up."

"Right." Levi grabbed Brendan. "Let's...um...be someplace else."

"Jamie's gonna be so psyched!" Brendan said, grinning and flashing Mandy and Brian the thumbs-up as Levi marched him backward out of the room.

The next evening, Brian and Mandy officially went on their first "date." Or, that was the excuse they gave everyone as they made their way up the mountain to see Edward.

Upon entering the house, Mandy realized something was wrong. The front hall was cold and dark. Usually, Edward had some lights turned on and a fire in the fireplace. She paused just inside the doorway and looked around in contemplation.

"What's wrong?" Brian asked, concerned. Mandy shook her head.

"I don't know." She replied quietly. "Edward?" His name echoed into the vast hall.

"Let's check upstairs. He likes lurking around there." Mandy said, already beginning her ascent. Brian followed. He wondered if their meetings always went this way. Mandy's apprehension told him they didn't. A few minutes of hardcore stair climbing and they reached the attic. Mandy opened the door.

"Edward?" She asked once again. She looked around, hoping to see him hiding behind one of his many ice sculptures. He wasn't, but she saw the new one and walked over to inspect it. Brian followed. He looked into the face of the sculpture, finding it eerily like Mandy's own face.

"Mandy..." he said softly, touching her arm. He had a bad feeling about what was happening. Mandy stared at the broken heart in the hands of the ice sculpture, a cold feeling placing itself in the pit of her stomach.

"I–I think maybe you shouldn't have come." Mandy said, biting her lip. "I don't think he trusts you."

"But if he doesn't get to know me, how will he ever learn I won't hurt him?" Brian sighed. "I've been wanting to meet him as much as you did. I used to dream about coming here when I was kid, but I was always too afraid." Mandy turned to look at him.

"Look, just let me talk to him by myself first. And then maybe he'll be okay with you." she said. She looked down. "I'm sorry, Bri, it's just..." she paused.

"You care about him." Brian finished. She looked up at him, worry filling her blue eyes. But Brian didn't look accusing or jealous. Oh yes, this was why she liked him. Brian _understood._

"He's so innocent and pure, and he's been hurt by everyone his entire life. And I think...well...I think I hurt him, too." Mandy admitted. Brian looked at her for a long time. Finally, he sighed.

"All right. But...be careful." He said, leaning forward and kissing the top of her head.

Mandy smiled at him

"Thank you." she said. Brian turned and walked away. Mandy watched him go, then she turned to the shadows.

"Edward?" She called again. "It's all right now...I told him to leave." There was no reply. Mandy reached in her pocket for the flashlight she used to get up the mountain. She shone it around the room, into all the shadowy areas. To her surprise, Edward wasn't hiding there like she'd thought he'd been. She sighed and made her way back downstairs. She checked the sitting room and then the library. No Edward. She looked in all the rooms they'd explored. She even peeked into the master bedroom, though she left quickly, goose bumps rising on her arms.

"Edward!" she cried, seriously worried. She sighed, looking around. She headed back up the stairs and stopped on a landing. There was a light shining into a hallway she'd never noticed before. Mandy took a deep breath and walked down the hallway. She turned and entered the lit room. Leopold exited the room as she entered, moving at a slow pace she'd never seen. In fact, she thought, watching the little robot curiously, he almost seemed sad. She looked up again and saw Edward standing in the middle of the room. He had a faraway look on his face, the one he got when he was remembering things.

"Edward?" Mandy asked gently.

"This was going to be my bedroom." Edward murmured. "When I was finished." He looked directly at Mandy, giving her a jolt. The fierce hunger in his dark eyes seemed to burn her.

"I wish I were finished." he said, longing filling his gentle voice. "Because then I would be a real boy. And if I were a real boy..." here his voice fell as quiet and unsure as the day Mandy met him, "maybe then you could love me."

End Chapter Seven.

That's two in a row. I feel good now.

Never fear! I have the ending all up here taps head. and so all I have to do is write it down! (I really want to finish this….'cos then I'll have ACTUALLY finished a full-length fic…something I've never accomplished in my five years on this site. wince)

To be explained:

Edward's anger: Okay, this is something someone pointed out…in the movie, the guy has an incredibly calm temper. And when the fact that he got angry kinda quick here was pointed out to me, I nearly revised it out, just leaving him hurt and scared. But then I realized that he _would_ get angry quicker…I don't think before the movie, he'd ever had reason to experience anger. And think about it: The whole Kim/Jim experience cut the guy pretty deep…when you fall into a situation just like one that was rather painful in the past, the feelings you felt all come rushing back. Thus; Edward got rather defensive and angry. Wouldn't you?

The flashback: I think I got that whole scene completely screwed up, but I decided not to worry about it just because I liked how I wrote it. So if things fly slightly AU there, sorry….

Mandy and Brian: Yes, I know it was HORRIBLY corny…The sad thing is, I used a real just-formed relationship as reference. So tell that to my best friend, the Rockstar. :P :P :P

I _think_ that's it for now. The next chapter is being written, and I think after the next one, there are two or three…probably three left. So yeah. Probly four chapters left and I'll have finished a fic for once!


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